George and Mitzi Naohara Papers, 1902-2010; undated, bulk 1942-1945, 1950-1959

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Summary

Creators:
Naohara, George, 1919-2014, Naohara, Mitzi, 1923-2021, and Yoshimura, Eileen
Abstract:
This collection contains photo albums and scrapbooks compiled by George Naohara and Mitzi (Masukawa) Naohara, other materials depicting their experiences during World War II and the Korean War, the postwar camp reunion and pilgrimage, and the Gardena Buddhist Church activities in which George Naohara engaged after the war. Most of the items in this collection have been digitized and available online.
Extent:
13 boxes (6 flat binder boxes, 3 document boxes, 2 short top boxes, 1 flat box, and 1 carton, including DVDs) and 9.03 Linear Feet (13 boxes)
Language:
English , Japanese .
Preferred citation:

For information about citing archival material, see the Citations for Archival Material guide, or consult the appropriate style manual.

Background

Scope and content:

The George and Mitzi Naohara Papers consists of photo albums and scrapbooks compiled by George and Mitzi Naohara, and other materials pertaining to the Naohara and Masukawa family. Included are photographs, correspondence, and documents depicting their experiences during World War II, photographs taken during the U.S. Army language school training and the Korean War, and books, moving images (film reels and DVDs), and artifacts representing George Naohara's participation in the Gardena Buddhist Church activities after the war.

George Naohara is Kibei Nisei, and his wartime experiences include his farm labor in Idaho and Utah; and incarceration in the Manzanar, Jerome, and Tule Lake camps. Mitzi Naohara was a preschool teacher at the Poston camp in Arizona, and also joined activates of a young Nisei women's club, "Sigma Debs." Her memorabilia depicts her life as a teacher and social events in the Poston camp during the war.

Biographical / historical:

George Nobuo Naohara (1919 August 17–2014 June 30) was Kibei Nisei, who was born in the United States, educated in Japan, and returned to Los Angeles, California prior to World War II. He left Japan, following in his uncle's footsteps but struck out on his own. He met the Masukawa family in Los Angeles and learned that Mrs. Koyuta Masukawa was a relative of his acquaintance and originally immigrated from Hiroshima, Japan, from which he also had come. He became a close friend to the family and married Mitzi Masukawa (1923 March 16-2021 January 11), one of the family's daughters, later.

He was one of the earlier group of incarcerees who were sent to the Manzanar incarceration camp in California during the war, and met other Kibei Nisei men in the camp. He and his Kibei Nisei friends were granted the permit to leave for work and worked in labor farms in Idaho and Utah. During his labor contract, he met one of the Masukawa family members who had been incarcerated in the Jerome incarceration camp in Arkansas, and decided to "reinduction" to the Jerome camp, instead returning to the Manzanar camp. He requested for reinduction, claiming that he became unable to work due to disability. He was incarcerated in the Jerome camp as he wished but applied for repatriation/expatriation to Japan, and was transferred to the Tule Lake Segregation Center in California. After the war ended, he did not return to Japan but settled in Chicago, Illinois. During the Allied Occupation of Japan, he learned that no one but military personnel were allowed to contact his/her family members in Japan. Since his mother was ill and had remained in Japan, he decided to join the U.S. Army, hoping to see her, and attended the language training school in California. He was stationed in Japan after the training, served for the Korean War as a MIS interpreter, and was discharged due to his illness at the end. Later, he operated a barbershop with his wife in Gardena, California, and also was devoted to Buddhist Church activities for his whole life.

Tomosuke Masukawa was an Issei immigrant and arrived at Tacoma, Washington in 1898. He was a railroad worker for the Santa Fe Railroad, a coalminer in Montana, and a farm labor in Fresno, California. Later, he moved to Los Angeles and farmed in Southern California. Koyuta Masukawa was a picture bride and sent to him in 1909, and their eight children were born in California. The Masukawa family resided in Long Beach, California prior to the war and left for Reedley, California, fleeing from the exclusion. However, the family received the order and was imprisoned in the Poston camp in Arizona, later. During her incarceration, Mitzi (Masukawa) Naohara was a preschool teacher and joined activities of a young Nisei women's club, "Sigma Debs," which mainly consisted of female basketball players at Reedley High School.

Acquisition information:

In 2015, Mitzi Naohara donated to the Gerth Archives and Special Collections, "Butsudan," a Buddhist altar made by hand by her brother-in-law in the Jerome camp in Arkansas during the war; two photo albums and scrapbooks in 2018; books, DVDs, film wheels, and a happi coat and belt in 2019.

In 2019, Eileen Yoshimura, a daughter of George and Mitzi Naohara, agreed to donate to the Gerth Archives and Special Collections, the documents which consist of her family papers and term papers along with audio cassette tapes prepared for a history class in 1974 when she was a student at CSU Dominguez Hills. She conducted interviews with her parents, uncle, and aunt and collected and analyzed their incarceration experiences during the war.

Additional items were donated to the Gerth Archives and Special Collections by Eileen Yoshimura in 2021 after Mitzi Naohara's passing. Included are materials regarding George and Mitzi Naohara's claims for the losses of their real and personal property filed under the Act of July 2, 1948, Gardena Buddhist Church activities, and postwar camp pilgrimage and reunion.

Processing information:

Some of the film reels were digitized by the donor and the transferred digitized moving images were normalized to the MXF format for preservation. The access derivatives were produced in the MP4 format.

The collection was processed and English translations, synopses and brief descriptions for Japanese language materials were prepared by Yoko Okunishi.

The Gerth Archives and Special Collections created digital reproductions from original items for long-term preservation and electronic access, adhering to best practice and standards to ensure the authenticity, integrity, and security of material. Some access files have been redacted to protect personal identifiable information and others have been compressed for greater efficiency online. For more information on digitization process, please see CSU Japanese American Digitization Project technical reference guide.

Some of the items in this collection have been digitized. The set of digital reproduction preservation files along with normalized moving image files is stored on the Gerth Archives and Special Collections' department drive for both preservation purposes and duplication requests. The entire pages of the four albums were digitized to preserve the structures and compilation prior to being dismantled. The digital reproduction files are saved on the department' drive for preservation purposes only.

The set of digital reproduction access files (access derivatives) created for the digital management system is stored on the Gerth Archives and Special Collections' department external drive for staff use.

One of the audio materials in the collection has been digitized by the California Audiovisual Preservation Project (CAVPP) and available at Internet Archive.

Arrangement:

Arranged in four series:

  1. Immigration, World War II incarceration, and Korean War experiences
  2. Postwar camp reunion and pilgrimage
  3. Postwar Gardena Buddhist Church and Shinto activities
  4. Gardena Buddhist Church, Buddhist Church of America, and other publications
Material specific details:
English translations, synopses, and brief descriptions for Japanese language materials are available at the CSU Japanese American Digitization Project site.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

There are no access restrictions on this collection.

Terms of access:

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of the Gerth Archives and Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Gerth Archives and Special Collections as the owner of the physical materials and not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.

Preferred citation:

For information about citing archival material, see the Citations for Archival Material guide, or consult the appropriate style manual.

Location of this collection:
University Library, 5th Flr (5039)
1000 E. Victoria Street
Carson, CA 90747, US
Contact:
(310) 243-3895
archives@csudh.edu
Website